Cessna R172K accident near Moreno Valley, California, June 28, 1997
On June 28, 1997 at about 2:22 pm local time, a Cessna R172K, registered N7373K, was destroyed in an accident near Moreno Valley, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his attempt to climb through a low stratus cloud layer while in mountainous/hilly terrain. The pilot's failure to obtain a weather briefing, the weather, and the terrain were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 28, 1997 · about 2:22 pm local time
- Place
- Moreno Valley, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172K · all R172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N7373K · no longer on the register · serial R1722065
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
There is no record of the pilot having received a weather briefing before takeoff. Radar data showed the aircraft following a highway toward higher terrain at approximately the altitude of the cloud bases. At the end of the radar data the aircraft climbed until radar contact was lost near the accident site in mountainous/hilly terrain. Witnesses at the accident site reported that the aircraft flew 300 to 400 feet over their position and was barely visible in the base of the clouds. The engine was 'straining' and then they heard the plane crash. Rescue personnel said that at the time of their arrival the visibility at the site was about 50 feet in fog.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,180 hours in all; 735 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1,068 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,920 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 29, 1996; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-K1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LGB Long Beach CA at 1:56 pm
- Destination: Aha Quin CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 900 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:24 pm from RIV, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.